Watch Me Shine
by Pitbull Almighty
Summary: A bit of an AU. A new mission has come up for Captain Amelia Smollet, to find and destroy the hiding place of the notorious Gantarins. She has a new crew which Jim hired himself, a group of 20 Reptile and Canids. Led by the alluring Phantom. Look inside.
1. Introduction

Introduction

Amelia strode out briskly from the pub where the briefing meeting had just taken place. She yawned hugely, showing her sharp canine teeth that glinted in the sunlight before her lips covered them once again. She had got a crew of 20 this time and luckily for her, Doppler wasn't the one who hired them, Jim was. She had seen one of the crew members earlier this morning, making his way onto the ship. A big brutish looking Malamute cross, black and white with gold eyes. Good enough.

Amelia reached the drawbridge and heard a deep, husky laugh and a few insults returned and thrown. It wasn't everyday that Amelia stopped dead in her tracks because of a wave of fear, but today was one of those odd days.

Just to her left stood a massive female Doberman Pincher with a thick leather collar chatting to a slim alien with bright green curls and spikes coming from his back. Amelia had never felt comfortable with the female canid species and now even less so. The Doberman grinned at a witty comment from her friend and a good deal of teeth were shown. Amelia swallowed and then went to stalk past the other female but tapped her lightly on the shoulder as she did so, stopped and fixed her with one of her most piercing, feline stares.

It was meat neatly with a challenging stare from one gold eye and one blue. Amelia swallowed a gasp, she thought both the eyes where going to be blue. This had to be the girl she was looking for...or moreover, woman.

"Phantom of Bel-Air, I presume." she stated, her voice even.

"Indeed, Captain." came the husky tones, as Phantom bowed to her.

"Then welcome aboard the RLS Legacy. It's time to go." finished Amelia turning once more and striding up the rest of the plank with Delbert and Jim following behind her. She heard Phantom say goodbye to her friend and then jogged up the plank. Once on the deck, Amelia couldn't help but look down and the four thick, long, curved claws that jutted neatly from Phantoms bare paws as she paced past her. This would be interesting


	2. Chapter 1: Stinging Nerves

**Stinging Nerves**

It had been two weeks since the RLS Legacy had set off from Montressor Space Port to find the hide away of the Gantarins and patience was wearing thin between certain members of the Crew. Namely a certain Captain Amelia and burly male liger named Yarrow. That was his last name anyhow. His first name was unknown to even Phantom who commanded him.

Yarrow had had his eyes on Amelia ever since she had swaggered on board. her lack of a tail didn't bother him at all. Instead he found it very attractive. Yarrow wasn't bad looking himself though. Thickly set with a mellow voice but a quick temper, he wasn't one to mess with, but then again, neither was Amelia. But today was when everything changed.

It was a hot and sticky evening when Phantom and Jim rushed out of the mess hall, side by side, brought to the surface by a cat like scream.

When they got there, Phantom was greeted with the sight of a roaring Yarrow with Amelia's sharp little fangs buried in his scruff and dragging him down to the floor. In was common knowledge that once grabbed by the scruff, no felid of any sort could defend or attack, their cub or childhood instincts to stay still and go limp where to strong. It was their weakness and how Amelia managed to floor Yarrow. She stood over him, glaring daggers at the floored Liger whose green eyes sparkled with fear and awe and he dragged himself to his feet and stood in front of her, bowing his head like the naught youngster he was not daring to look up at the glaring captain. Even though he was 6ft tall, towering above Amelia, he was now crouched at her feet, avoiding all eye contact as if his life depended on it.

Phantom narrowed her eyes and padded forward towards the two felids. She shuddered at the amount of tension and fury that hung in the air between them, she also avoided eye contact with Amelia, instead glaring down at the shaken Yarrow. Before Phantom could speak, Amelia held up a gloved hand to silence her. the Captains' voice was sharp and cold.

"I'll see you in my stateroom, Phantom. Doctor, Mr. Hawkins. Can you please escort this...neophyte down to the brig and guard him. I will see both of you down there shortly."

Amelias' chest rose and fell as she breathed hard out of her nose, curling her lip as Yarrow was led off by the Doctor and Jim Hawkins. The check of that brute! Really! Just because he was bigger than her...he had horribly underestimated her. Amelias' thoughts turned dark at the last moment and she span on her heel and prowled towards her stateroom. She flicked her ears right back until they where pinned against her skull and brushed a few stray locks back and straightening out her partly ruffled uniform, her expression thunderous. She passed Phantom without looking at her and opened the stateroom door.

Phantom barely had time to duck inside the door before Amelia slammed it shut and locked it. She sighed to herself and was glad her tail had been docked. Surprisingly, she had not been born this way. Doberman's have there tail socked for they were the only breed not to need their tail for balance. Her ears had been cropped because her father had them so and whilst he lived, she had admired him. He died a needless death. Sadness crept over her heart as she remembered the huge Black and Tan dog, more black than tan with teeth like a dinosaurs. His name...DeSoto.

She was snapped back to reality as Amelias' voice sliced through the air.

"I did not hire you so I could be molested at every turn, Phantom. First is a crew of Space Pirate, now it's a feckless team of hormone ridden dolts!"

"If I may interject, Captain.."

"NO, YOU MAY NOT, PHANTOM!" she thundered, slamming her hands down on the desk and sinking her nails in. Phantom winced at the force.

"I hired you and your crew because they had been recommended by the Navy, not because I wanted my behind groped by a 6 foot cretin!" she continued, green eyes flashing.

Phantom swallowed and stepped back. Although Amelia was a good way away from her, wave after eave of her embarrassed fury hit her like a ton of bricks. She could see the captain was breathing heavily, a sure sign her fury would not die down too easily. Phantom signed and pulled her ears back, twiddling the thinned tips in her fingers and pacing forward again, her thick claws making almost the same sound Amelia's boots did, but with a heavier, thicker, more natural note as her paw pads thudded down and the decked flooring.

Credit to the Captain, she had managed to floor Yarrow before any real harm could have been done. The excuse:

"He's young." was not enough on this occasion. Yarrow had assaulted a senior member of staff in a way that Phantom did not want to bring to her mind. Amelia was a tempting morsel of feminine body and...

The Doberman bitch shook her head attempting to clear it once more before placing her hands on Amelias' desk and facing her.

She was on the opposite side, way out of striking range. She signed once before speaking and laying her ears down somewhat.

"Ahem. Yes, I apologise for that Captain. And I cannot apologise enough." she added catching Amelias famous death glare.

"I'm not even gonna try and excuse Yarrows' behaviour. All I can ask of you is that you don't judge the rest of us based on the immaturity of one member."

Phantom had gradually been aware of Amelia moving towards her, but since her eyes and skull had been averted for her own safety, the effect of finding Amelia inches away from her face was one of shock and confusion and a little bit of apprehension.

Amelias' eyes bored straight into Phantoms, her teeth where bared as she spoke.

"You can understand if I cast your request aside and judge the rest of your incompetent crew on the basis of one, can't you?" she growled harshly.

Phantom could only nod, paralyzed by her gaze. Although a good 2 or 3 inches above her, Phantom felt small under her gaze.

Amelia moved closer and Phantom could feel her breath grace her lips.

"Listen to me and listen to me good, Phantom of Bel-Air. Another slip up like this..." she unsheathed her claws. "And it will be you who pays for it. Now...get out."

"yes Ma'am." Phantom almost squeaked and sidestepped Amelis' anger and trotted briskly out of the stateroom, shutting the door quickly behind her.

Amelia sighed and hung her head as she listened to Phantom bound away over the decks of the Legacy. Disappointment welled up in her heart. That promotion would have to wait.


	3. Chapter 2: Requiem

Chapter 2 - Requiem

Phantom exited the stateroom in a fury, she had been in situations like this before but usually, she could lash back out at the insolent fool who dared to anger her. Now she couldn't. They needed Amelia to get them to where they needed to go. She growled and her ear flicked back and turned around partly, her expression something between a snarl and a pout. Watching Amelia as the felid strode past her, ears back and expression cool yet thunderous. Phantom growled loudly and Amelia turned around to find a huge feral Doberman behind her.

_Now here is probably the place to explain that any of Phantom's crew has the power to turn "feral", which means back into their natural four legged or two legged forms, minus the clothes but when they transform back, they do have their clothes on. Also in their feral state, they're probably twice as big as their normal/natural forms. So, Phantoms' shoulder would now be around 5ft_.

Amelia's expression changed slightly to one of alarm as Phantom advanced upon her, ear forward and docked tail straight in the air. Phantom brushed passed Amelia and went down to her dorms, keeping her eyes forward the whole time. If she had looked at Amelia, well, she didn't want to think about that.

Slamming the door behind her with a swift kick of her hind leg, as few of her crew looked at her in surprise. There where four of her crew in there. Tiberius, Scooter, Fireheart and HydroIce. They all looked rather surprised at her entrance. Phantom turned back into her anthro self and flopped down in her hammock and sighed. Tiberius and her good raptor friend, Fireheart approached her and planted themselves either side of her on the soft fluffy rug that had been laid down. Phantom yawned hugely and everyone was silent for a few moments.

Phantom pulled out a personal music player from the black jeans she was wearing and plugged one ear in. She was glad she only did one ear and the volume was down since Tiberius started speaking to her.

**"So, what actually happened in there? Is Amelia still alive?"** he asked casually, sniggering at the last part of the sentence.

Phantom looked down at him in an almost sideways fashion, a devious grin on her features. But then, it faded slightly and she sighed heavily.

**"Yes, the little kitten is still alive. Not much happened but she just shouted at me, telling me what she thought of the rest of us."** she shrugged again and lay back so only her brown nose was showing and then it was only the tip. Swallowing, Phantom listened to the movements of her four friends and then the door opened. There was a hiss from the raptor, Scooter, which meant the company at the door was not welcome. The soft clack of boots finished the puzzle in Phantoms head. Amelia. How dare she come down here!? Phantom signalled with a hand sign for her mates to leave both Amelia and herself together. She smirked as she saw Tiberius stalk around the other female and bare his teeth at her before bounding out of the door. It shut and all was quiet. Phantom had turned off her music player and was listening intently now.

Amelia's footsteps stopped a mere few inches away from Phantoms head. Phantom had closed her eyes so was surprised to have a good waft of the felid scent and her gloved finger rest gently on the very tip of her wet nose. Her first instinctual reaction was to lick at the disturbance, so before she could control herself, her tongue slipped out and batted at her nose. Amelia's finger was quick to retreat but her scent was not so. Phantom finally opened her eyes and glanced over to where she thought Amelia would be, and sure enough, she was there.

Her pale emerald eyes where narrowed but her expression was soft with a small, apologetic smile. Rolling over, Phantom expelled her body from the hammock and landed neatly in a couch and then stood up slowly. She didn't exactly tower over Amelia but she was bigger than her, by a few inches, maybe a head. She had underestimated Amelia's' height since she hadn't been that close to her before, but now, in the silence, Phantom had a chance to look the felid over. Her build was petit but no doubt laced with muscle, her eyes where large and expression but no doubt beautiful and her face was beautifully shaped...as was everything else. A smirk moved onto Phantoms features before she could stop it. That was happening a lot lately. Her features went back into a cool, disinterested look as Amelia started to speak.

**"Phantom, I'm sorry about what just happened. I...I shouldn't have taken it out on you; it was an abuse of power. I'm sorry."** she managed.

Phantom ears went flat back, pinned again her skull, with the tips almost touching and she turned her back on Amelia briefly to get back in her hammock and turn over to face her, but she never reached her hammock.

Amelia knew something was wrong as soon as the Doberman stopped. Before she knew it, Phantom had sprung around charged at her, picked her, up hugged her tightly to her chest so that they where back to chest and jumped backwards onto her hammock. Somehow, Phantom had found out that Amelia was ticklish and her hands went straight to Amelia's waist. Amelia writhed and wriggled but she could not get free of the Dobermans' grasp. Then as soon as it had started, it ended. Amelia felt Phantom slip from beneath her and hands leave her sides.

Panting slightly, she looked up to see Phantom standing over her.

**"Apology accepted, Captain."**


End file.
